


Krypto-Jew

by AXEe



Series: Family Matters [11]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Judism, bat mitzvah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10189610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Or Alex wants CJ to embrace both sides of her heritage.  Sorta kinda sequel to "Kryptoish"





	1. Hebrew school for DEO agents

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, here's another installment in the Family Matters-verse, just a heads up, I'm not Jewish myself, so I apologize in advance if I get things wrong, otherwise, enjoy! :=)
> 
> UPDATE: A helpful reader has pointed out some inaccuracies, which I've endeavored to fix, hopefully it turned out all right :=)

******

Alex tapped the calendar in front of her, frowning at the crossed out date which simply read ‘CJ B Day’

“Hey, Ash?” she called out

“Don’t call me that,” Astra called back from the vicinity of the bathroom “and what is it?”

“I want CJ to have a _bat mitzvah_ ” Alex said, there was a pause, and then Astra leaned out of the bedroom, her hair still wet

“Say again?” she asked, adjusting the towel wrapped around her waist

“I want CJ to have a _bat mitzvah_ ” Alex repeated

“All right” Astra disappeared back into the bedroom

“That’s it?” Alex asked “no argument?” Astra leaned back out of the door again

“Why would I argue?” she wondered “CJ should be aware of her heritage”

“I…don’t know,” Alex admitted “I guess I was expecting an argument for some reason” she explained, Astra stared at her

“I’m going to go back to my shower now,” she finally said “call me when you’re feeling more stable”

“Stable…hey! Get back here, In-ze!”

******

“Alex, hey” Kara chirped as she sat down across from her at Noonan’s later that day

“Hey,” Alex greeted “so, listen,” she began “do you have any plans for next week?” Kara frowned

“Well,” she finally began “unless Supergirl needs to help out, no, not really, why?”

“Well, you know we just had CJ’s birthday a few days right?” 

“Yeah…," Kara nodded slowly “I was there, remember?”

“Well,” Alex continued “I want her to have a _bat mitzvah_ ”

“Oh,” Kara seemed a little surprised “uh, not to sound rude, but, what brought this on? I mean you’ve never been very religious even though you’re Jewish”

“I know,” Alex nodded “but I was thinking that, we’ve all spent the last couple of years focusing on CJ’s _other side_ that we’ve haven’t really paid attention to my side of the family”

“OK,” Kara nodded “so, what do you want do?”

“Can you find me a Rabbi? One who’s willing to do a _bat mitzvah_ for the daughter of two women?”

“Sure, I guess,” Kara frowned and dug around in her bag, pulling out a notepad and scribbling down something on it “OK, anything else?”

“Well, traditionally, there’s supposed to be a celebratory meal…,” Alex began

“Oh, a _sedut mitzvah_ ,” Kara nodded “sure, I’ll call everyone else and get it organized” she scribbled something else on her pad

“How did you know what it’s called?” Alex wondered as Kara stood up to leave

“Huh? Oh, Winn’s Jewish,” she explained “bye”

******

“Lucy’s not here” Winn said as he opened the door

“No, I know,” Alex began “I was actually looking for you” Winn blinked at her

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he glanced over his shoulder at the inside of the apartment “uh, come on in.” he held open the door and allowed Alex in. She had to smile as she saw clear evidence of Lucy’s presence, most of the computer and other electronics had delegated to one corner, while Winn’s action figures (sorry, ‘collectables’) had been placed on shelves and the furniture was clearly Lucy’s (Alex didn’t really see Winn owning a suede sofa) “so, what’s up?” Winn asked

“Uh, Kara mentioned today that you’re Jewish”

“O…K,” he began “uh, not that it’s any of your business, but yeah, I am” Alex cringed, she was doing this so badly

“No, it…let me start over, I want to have a _bat mitzvah_ for CJ,” she began “but, the last time I did anything even _remotely_ religious was during my own. So, I was wondering, if you’d help me out on the fine details?” Winn chuckled

“Sorry,” he apologized “I’m just enjoying the moment, its not everyday that _you_ come to _me_ for help”

“Winn”

“OK, OK, moment over, geez,” he held up his hands “uh, hang on, let me see,” he went to a cabinet and dug around inside “I hope you know that the last time _I_ did anything religious was when my dad was still around”

“I know,” Alex sighed “but if I go to my mother I’ll get a lecture”

“All right, got it,” Winn stood up and held a very dusty copy of the _Torah_ “well, you’ll need this first of all”

“I know. Thanks” was her sarcastic response, which he ignored

“And traditionally its held on the first Shabbat after her birthday, which would be…,” he moved to the kitchen and studied the calendar, flipping through it “ehh...you got time” he announced

“OK,” Alex sighed “good”

“You’re not going to be one of those parents who have this big bash with like hundreds of people to celebrate, are you?” Winn wondered

“Oh, god, no,” Alex cringed “no, the usual birthday rules apply” Winn nodded

“Potluck meals and everybody brings a gift” he recited

“Exactly” Alex nodded

******

“CJ,” Alex called “CJ,” she frowned when no answer came back “CJ!!!” she finally bellowed, there was a distant yelp, a thump, and then the thirteen year old leaned out of her room

“Yeah, Mom?” she asked

“Come here”

“O…K,” CJ frowned “am I in trouble?” she asked

“No, you’re fine,” Alex patted the couch cushion “come here, sit down”

“O…K,” CJ sat down very gingerly, frowning at her Mom “are you and Mother getting a divorce?” she suddenly blurted out

“What? No!” Alex shook her head “no, god, no! Why would you ask that?!” she demanded

“Well I don’t know!” the teen exclaimed, bolting upright and pacing back and forth, the book in her hand fluttering dangerously “you call me over all serious and act like you’re walking on broken glass, what was I _supposed_ to think?!!?”

“OK, OK,” Alex soothed “calm down,” she sighed “god, I totally suck at this,” she muttered “OK,” she began “do you remember when we used to send you to Hebrew school?”

“I remember I was only there for a month before you punched out that other mother who called you and Mother ‘sinners’ and we were ‘asked’ not to come back,” CJ nodded “but, yes, continue”

“Smart ass,” Alex muttered “OK, well, how’d you feel about having a _bat mitzvah_?” she finally asked, CJ blinked

“Uh, do I have a choice?” she wondered “ow!” she winced as Alex lightly slapped her upside the head

“Stop being a smart ass,” Alex warned “ _of course_ you have a choice,” she exclaimed “you _always_ have a choice, that’s why I’m so nervous about this, I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing my religion on you, I want you to feel safe enough to chose your own path, whatever is it”

“Whoa, whoa, Mom, take a breath, geez,” CJ reached out and took Alex’s hands “you’re not forcing anything on me, if I really didn’t want to do this, I’d have just said ‘no’.” Alex chuckled

“So?” she finally asked “do you want to do it?”

“Sure,” CJ nodded “sounds fun”


	2. Hebrew school for Kryptonians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, the next and final chapter is up, enjoy!!

******

**Two days later…**

“OK, Mom, you need to calm down,” CJ frowned “the Rabbi won’t be here for another hour”

“I’m fine, I’m fine” Alex dismissed

“No, you’re not,” Astra said “you haven’t been this frantic since our wedding, now sit down”

“OK, OK” Alex sat down for all of two seconds before she was up again pacing back and forth, Astra spat out something rude-sounding in Kryptonese and then went back to her book, ‘ _Hebrew for Beginners’_ just as there was a knock at the door

“It’s only Winn” Astra said as Alex jumped, Alex huffed out a breath and opened the door, Winn leaned in, smiling at the other two

“Hey” he greeted

“Hey” CJ and Astra greeted

“Uh, what’s with Alex?” Winn wondered

“Nerves” Astra answered

“Well can you get her to stop? She’s making me dizzy”

“Stuff it, Schott!” Alex spat out “this is important”

“Geez, will you relax, Alex?” Winn rolled his eyes as he plopped down on the couch, giving CJ a playful poke in the arm as he did “Rabbi Cooke’s cool, you’ll like her” he added

“Cooke?” Alex repeated “she’s not even Jewish?”

“Oh, for the love of—” Astra stood up

“Astra! Put me down!!” Alex shrieked as there was a knock at the door

“Uh, guys, it’s her” Winn said as he opened the door. Rabbit Cooke was older woman, about fifty or so with a mane of silver hair neatly piled atop her head. Dressed in a simple pair of black slacks with a matching blazer, she looked more like a school teacher than a rabbi

“Don’t just stand there, Winn, let her in” Astra told him, she nodded politely at the newcomer “Rabbi, welcome”

“Astra! Put me down!!” Alex repeated

“Not until you calm down,” Astra said firmly “if you’ll excuse us, Rabbi?”

“Of course,” the Rabbit nodded and as Astra carried Alex into the bedroom, glanced at Winn, eye brow raised “you weren’t kidding, were you when you said that they were…what did you call it? Lively?” Winn blushed

“Yeah, they’re good people though,” he said as he invited her in “oh, Rabbi, here’s the guest of honor, Conner Jeremiah Danvers” he gestured to CJ, who stood up and politely offered her hand

“Hello, Connor,” Rabbit Cooke greeted “so, how are you feeling about all this?’ she asked as she gestured for both of them to sit down “Winn here tells me that you were raised without any particular religious upbringing”

“Not really,” CJ nodded “my moms want me to choose my own path” Rabbi Cooke nodded

“That’s good,” she said “very wise, but you did go to Hebrew school?”

“Very briefly,” CJ confirmed “there was…an incident, uh, one of the other parents didn’t approve of my moms marriage and, well, one thing led to another, and my Mom—she was the one being carried—uh, well, she punched the other woman out” Rabbi Cooke winced

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said “it still annoys me that in this day and age people of any faith can be that intolerant”

“Thank you” CJ nodded

“Now, tell me,” the Rabbit reached into her bag and pulled out a notepad “firstly do you go by ‘Connor’ or ‘CJ’?”

“Uh, most people just call me ‘CJ’.”

“OK, ‘CJ’ it is. Now, second question, have you studied any aspects of Jewish culture? The language?”

“A little bit,” CJ began “mostly from my grandmother” the rabbit scribbled something down on her pad

“Will she be attending?”

“Yes, defiantly,” the three people looked up as Alex and Astra walked back in, Alex held out her hand “I’m sorry, Alex Danvers”

“Rabbi Cooke, and don’t worry, I’ve seen far worse,” she gestured for Alex to sit down “and you must Astra”

“That’s right”

“Now, Winn here tells me that one of you is an alien” the Rabbi began, as Alex glared at Winn

“That would be me,” Astra held up a hand “I’m Kryptonian”

“I see,” the Rabbi nodded “will that cause any problems?” she asked “I mean does this conflict in anyway with your own culture or religion?”

“No, it shouldn’t,” Astra shook her head “the only problem I can foresee is someone bursting into tears during the ceremony”

“Oh, that happens all the time,” the Rabbi dismissed “you should see it, sometimes people just start bawling like babies,” she chuckled and turned back to Alex and CJ “OK, so, Alex—may I call you Alex?—now, how many people are going to attend?”

“Not too many just…let’s see, my sister, her husband, her daughter—”

“Must we invite that hellion?” Astra wondered

“…my mother, my step-father, oh, Winn here of course, and his girlfriend, that should be it” Rabbi Cooke nodded

“All right, I only ask because I want to know who sits where,” she explained “can’t have fistfights breaking out during the ceremony now can we?” there was a chuckle from the others “all right, now I’ve already got you folks down for Wednesday, two weeks from now, and now all that’s left is for me to give CJ here some tutoring in Hebrew and the finer points of the ceremony”

“How will that be accomplished?” Astra wondered

“Ah, that’s very easy, just bring her by my office after school for the next two weeks,” she smiled at CJ “don’t worry, I won’t give you _too_ much homework”

“You’re talking to the wrong kid here,” Alex chuckled “she likes schoolwork”

“That’s good,” the Rabbi praised “education is very important in Jewish culture,” she reminded the teen, she dug into her bag and held out a card “here’s my phone number if you have any questions and Winn can give you the address, we’ll start tomorrow if that’s OK with everyone?” at the almost-simultaneous nod she smiled “good, I’ll see you then”

******

**Some time later…**

“Astra?” Astra looked up from her book as Rabbi Cooke sat down next to her. A few feet away, CJ was studying the _Torah_ and scribbling down notes

“Yes, Rabbi?” Astra asked

“I was wondering, you’ve been studying Hebrew ever since CJ’s been coming here, is there any particular reason?” Rabbi Cooke asked

“I was hoping if I would be allowed to say a blessing or a speech during the ceremony” Astra admitted

“Of course you may,” the Rabbi nodded “was there something in particular you wished to say?”

“I don’t know,” Astra huffed out a breath “something…positive, affirming, something that tells her that I love her”

“In other words what every mother wants to say,” Rabbi Cooke chuckled “but you’re having problems with the grammar I take it?” Astra nodded “would you like some help?”

“Please”

“Certainly”

******

**National City Jewish Cultural Center**

“Why are you panicking?” Alex demanded “ _I’m_ Jewish, _I’m_ the one who’s supposed to be panicking, not _you!_ ”

“I don’t like this,” Astra hissed “she’s only _thirteen_ , Alex, she’s still a child”

“Not according to Jewish law she isn’t”

“Oh, go away Winn, no one asked you”

“Astra! Geez!” Alex grabbed her wife’s hand and pulled her to the side “take a deep breath and repeat after me: ‘she will always be our little girl’.”

“She will always be our little girl”

“That’s good,” Alex advised “now, just keep telling yourself that and we’ll get through this”

“So you say” Astra muttered as they took their seat in the front row. Alex had to smirk at the image of James, Winn, and J’onn all in _yarmulkes_ (James’ kept slipping a bit for some reason, possibly because of his bald head). Besides them, Eliza, Kara, and Lucy all looked very well-to-do in their suits and heels, while Alura, sitting between her parents, simply sulked and gave off an air of ‘I don’t want to be here, this is lame’

“Hey,” Kara leaned over “how’s she doing?” she asked, nodding at Astra, who looked ready to bolt any second

“Terrified” Alex answered, to her right, Eliza chuckled

“You don’t remember your father at your _bat mitzvah_ do you?” she asked, when Alex shook her head, Eliza chuckled “he bawled like a baby,” she explained “the rabbi even asked him to step outside at one point because he was so loud”

“Really? Dad?”

“Oh, yes” they all turned as CJ was called up

“That’s our cue,” Alex muttered as she stood up and lead CJ to the altar “good luck” she whispered as she stepped away and sat back down, while CJ—looking awkward in her dress, probably because it was while—took a breath, readjusted the prayer shawl draped across her shoulders and began to recite a simple prayer, singing out the ancient words with a surprising clarity, she didn’t stutter, she stumbled a bit here and there, mispronounced a word or two, but her voice held firm, confident and sure of herself.

To her right, Alex felt Astra take her hand, squeezing as gently as she could

“Thank you, CJ,” Rabbi Cooke began once CJ was done “that was a lovely prayer. And now, we’d like to invite CJ’s mother, Astra to come up, who, although not of our faith, and has prepared a speech in Hebrew” Alex gave Astra’s hand a squeeze as she took a breath and stood up, nervously walking towards the altar

“I…,” she paused, blinking “uh, I was going to say something in Hebrew, but, uh,” she chuckled nervously “I seem to have forgotten how, so, uh, I’ll just say it in English,” she took a breath “my darling daughter, as you grow and change I wish and hope that you never lose your light, you spark. When you were young you would pester me and your mom for hours asking all sorts of questions, I hope that you never lose that curiosity, that you always have that passion to discover new things, that you share your love with everyone you meet, and that you remember, above all else, that no matter what, we will always love you” she sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye as she quietly slipped back down to her seat

“Softy” Alex gently teased, turning back to watch as Rabbi Cooke gave the closing blessing and James snapped a quick picture

******

“So, you’re officially an adult now, how do you feel?” Winn asked as everyone crowed around Alex’s dinning table, the table groaning as everyone—read: Kara—added another dish

“I don’t know,” CJ admitted “I don’t feel all that different, and yet…,” she frowned “when I was there, reciting that prayer, I felt, I don’t know…complete,” she frowned “does that make sense to anybody?” she wondered 

“It makes perfect sense” Eliza said, smiling softly

“Yeah,” Alex agreed “it does,” she reached out, pull her daughter into a hug “I’m proud of you, munchkin,” she looked up, smiling at Astra “I’m proud of you both” she added

**END**


End file.
